The Pokémon Company International has defended the lottery-based sign-up system used for PokémonXP and the 2026 Pokémon World Championships in San Francisco, acknowledging widespread fan disappointment over limited access to tickets and exclusive activities. Chris Brown, the company's Director, Global Esports and Events Producer, said demand vastly outstripped supply, and while the company recognises the frustration this causes, it maintains that an interest-list-into-lottery model remains the fairest way to allocate scarce places when a first-come, first-served system would simply overload and crash.

Around 50,000 people are attending the combined events, yet more than 130,000 signed up for the PokémonXP pass interest list alone, more than twice the number of available badges. Access to smaller-scale extras, such as artist autograph sessions and workshops, is even more restricted, with roughly 2,000 of an estimated 50,000-plus applicants securing a spot this year, broadly in line with participation rates at previous World Championships. Brown said the company's main lever for improvement is increasing overall supply over time, rather than changing the allocation method itself.